(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to a machine for making dough portions of the type comprising a hopper from which dough is fed to a chamber in which a plunger operates to expel successive dough portions from the chamber. In the field of portioning dough, as it is used for example for making rolls or the like, it is of importance that each portion of dough has an exactly predetermined quantity. Furthermore, experience has shown that a device of the kind indicated above sometimes has the disadvantage that the dough in the hopper is subjected to a too strong movement, which may have a detrimental influence upon the dough. Furthermore, there is sometimes the disadvantage that a column of dough remains in the hopper and does not proceed to the chamber so that the plunger effects a void stroke or delivers dough portions having a dough weight considerably less than the predetermined value. However, it may also happen that too much dough enters the chamber guiding the plunger. This may cause the disadvantage of squeezing the dough and there are many different kinds of dough, which are very sensitive to such a squeeze.
(2) The Prior Art
One machine of several known embodiments comprises a particularly funnel-shaped, filling hopper for the dough, which hopper opens into a chamber from which the dough, by means of a plunger, is supplied to at least one receiving opening conducted past said chamber and arranged on a rotatably supported portioning drum, said receiving opening effecting in cooperation with a stripping edge the proper portionmaking operation. Within the filling hopper there are two star rollers rotatably supported for being unvariably rotated in opposite direction, the drive for said star rollers being controlled by a sensor supervising the amount of dough contained within said chamber. Such a device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,623 granted to Helmut Konig, and operates substantially in a satisfactory manner. However, practice has shown that when using filling hoppers of vast space, the star rollers cannot transport a sufficient amount of dough when handling certain types of dough. The use of filling hoppers of vast space is, however, desired for achieving a rapid operation when producing a greater number of dough portions.